Our Department

"More than anything else, being an educated person means being able to see connections that allow one to make sense of the world and act within it in creative ways. Every one of the qualities I have described here listening, reading, talking, writing, puzzle solving, truth seeking, seeing through other people's eyes, leading, working in a community is finally about connecting. A liberal education is about gaining the power and the wisdom, the generosity and the freedom to connect." William Cronon, "'Only Connect': The Goals of a Liberal Education"

The multi-disciplinary Liberal Studies program is dedicated to fostering the ideals of a liberal education. Such ideals include the ability to think critically, communicate effectively, become aware of the vast extent and variety of our accumulated experience and knowledge, and study at least one subject well enough to appreciate its subtlety and complexity.

Though it is the most wide-ranging undergraduate major at Armstrong, Liberal Studies is not, of course, the only major concerned with fostering the values of a liberal education. If you wish to focus your upper division studies in a particular academic area, we strongly encourage you to do so. However, if you are still trying to decide whether the Liberal Studies program suits your particular goals and interests, consider the ideas and arguments discussed in the following: